The Falklands War, 30 years on

2 April 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the invasion of the Falkland Islands. These books include reissues of contemporary accounts of the action, and new assessments of the war, its aftermath and context.

Storming the Falklands, by Tony Banks
Tony Banks and his comrades were plunged into a war of night attacks and vicious close-quarters combat as they sought to liberate the Falkland Islands. In ‘Storming the Falklands’, Tony gives his vivid and harrowing first-hand account of the bloodiest conflict British troops had faced in years.

Scram! by Harry Benson
This is the thrilling untold story of the young helicopter pilots – most barely out of their teens – who risked their lives during this brief but ferocious war.

Memories of the Falklands, by Ian Dale (ed.)
This poignant book is published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the outbreak of the Falklands conflict in 1982. Contributors include politicians, soldiers and their families, journalists and Falkland Islanders themselves.

The yompers, by Ian Gardiner
Called to action on 2 April 1982, the men of 45 Commando Royal Marines assembled from around the world to sail 8000 miles to recover the Falkland Islands from Argentine invasion. Lacking helicopters and short of food, they ‘yomped’ in appalling weather carrying overloaded rucksacks, across the roughest terrain. This is their story.

The ordinary heroes, by Christopher Hilton
This title by Christopher Hilton features personal stories from the war in the Falklands.

No such thing as society: a history of Britain in the 1980s, by Andy McSmithFrom the Falklands war and the miners’ strike to Bobby Sands and the Guildford Four, from Diana and the New Romantics to Live Aid and the ‘big bang’, from the Rubik’s cube to the ZX Spectrum, this account uncovers the truth behind the decade that changed Britain forever.

The Falklands war, by Martin Middlebrook
This fascinating, thorough and highly readable account of the campaign includes evidence from documentary and personal sources on both sides of the Falklands War, including descriptions of every event from the Exocet tragedies to the major land battles outside Stanley.

Down south, by Chris Parry
28-year-old Chris Parry was an officer on a Wessex III helicopter on HMS Antrim during the Falklands War. Chris Parry’s diary, written every evening during the conflict, has been lost for nearly 30 years.
It has been published now to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the war.

Too few, too far, by George Thomsen
This is an action-filled account of combat during the Falklands War. Seen through the eyes of Section Commander George Thomsen, this inspiring first-hand account, tells of the tension-packed lead up, the heroic stand, by a tiny band of brothers on one of the most inhospitable islands on the planet – South Georgia.

Vulcan 607, by Rowland White
When Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands Islands in 1982, it took the British government by surprise. They needed a fast response, and military chiefs came up with a plan of action – Operation Black Buck. This is an account of the last British bomber raid, recalling the long-range attack on Port Stanley that opened the Falklands War.

One hundred days, by Sandy Woodward
Updated for the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, this account of the conflict, written by the commander of the British Task Force, Admiral Sandy Woodward from the aircraft carrier Hermes, takes us from day one to day one hundred of the conflict.